More 2d goodness!!
Posted by Jon | Filed under Video Gaming
Wow, been on a 2d rampage lately! Maybe its just easier for me to get into 2d games because of my past original love for gaming, my original foundation of love for gaming supplied by the original NES system, or because there’s so many decent new side-scrollers available that just kick ass! Either way, I have a doozy of a post for y’all…
First off is an XBOX live download. I don’t usually post exclusive console content, but this is well worth a mention. Shadow Complex. For those familiar with Super Metroid for the SNES, you are in for a treat! Double and triple jumping, hyperspeed running, grappling hook, weapons galore, its all here. Although it has a great deal of 3d content, it functions primarily like a side-scroller, while still allowing the protagonist to shoot enemies in the background. Bosses are epic, and the plot/story was written before the game was even made, based on a book by well-known author, Orson Scott Card Probably the best game I have played that was so cheap! A mere $19.95!
Here’s a trailer for your perusal..
Second off we have Trine, another gorgeous 2d game focusing on puzzle solving, platforming, and hack and slash combat, all rolled into an old-school fantasy environment. Players can freely switch between three characters… A thief, a wizard, and a knight, all of which can level up their special abilities, and be equipped with all sorts of special items.
The thief is equipped with a bow & arrow and a grappling hook, the wizard can conjure boxes of all sizes, ramps, and platforms (and manipulate them along with objects in his environment), and the knight wields a sword and shield, or eventually a huge double handed lightning imbued hammer. Each of the characters special abilities must be exercised to their fullest in order to traverse the spiked pits, lava traps, and swarms of all manner of undead enemies.
The only gripe I have about this game is similar to the one I have about Wolfenstein, reviewed by myself here, I tend to play games on the hardest settings that are available in order to extend the game play experience. The game is challenging and fun, and I invest some good time enjoying the difficulty. Then I get to the final boss/level, and its is just insane. I think I have tried the final level of Trine a good 30-40 times without success. If I had run into such an intense level of toughness from the beginning of the game, I would have restarted weeks ago on an easier level.
Regardless of this minor inconvenience, I highly recommend this to all my readers.. It’s available on the PC and on the Playstation Network, for $40 and $20 respectively.. Weird how it cost me almost double for the PC version! 
Demo video!
My final 2d recommendation for this wondrous post is a slightly more relaxed game, with IMMENSE exploration aspects..Titled Aquaria, this indie game is a gorgeous side-swimmer (lol!) based underwater.. as you swim around the breathtaking scenery uncovering the story of Naija, you will solve numerous challenges, fight scores of varieties of enemies (there are literally hundreds of types) and fight massive bosses that all require unique methods of being dispatched. Don’t pick this one up if you can’t invest a significant amount of time. Even with a walkthrough, the immensity of the world maps will have you playing for quite a large number of hours, not even factoring in the extra time you will need to harvest items from various plants and animals (needed for a complex cooking mini-game that will net Naija all sorts of healing and buff-related food items) However, the sheer beauty of this game, along with its unique control mechanisms to sing Naija’s spells make this a great title.
Download the demo here (direct link to 63 MB file) Whats great about the demo is that if you decided to purchase the full game for $21.73 Canadian (online purchase), your demo saved games will carry across! Available for both OS X and Windows machines!
Trailer here!
That’s all for now, sorry for the Christmas break, but I will be back with some good ol’ fashioned MMORPG reviews next as I tackle the issue of gameplay vs time investment vs monthly cost!
